For the sake of clarity, please could you inform us from which planet Cristina Odone is writing ('Little wonder so many see all roads lead to Rome', Comment, last week), since it appears not to be this one.

Her attempts to portray the global superpower that is the Catholic church as 'a persecuted minority' are laughable, as is her contention that shockwaves will be sent through 'secular circles' at our glorious ex-leader Tony Blair's impending conversion. That the sanctimonious and exponentially pious Mr Blair should turn for succour to an organisation founded on the principle that its leader can do no wrong could hardly be more appropriate. It would be difficult to overstate the degree to which secularists are not reeling.

As for 'charity, compassion and modesty', it would seem more appropriate to consider the Catholic church's record through the centuries and at present over matters such as the suppression of free speech; persecution of 'heretics' (including such immense figures as Galileo); the practice and concealment of sexual abuse; complicity in the spread of HIV through dogmatic opposition to safe sex; persecution of homosexuals - except those within its own ranks with a predilection for small boys- and physiological imperialism in attempting to dictate to women what may and may not happen inside their bodies; than to accept avowals of doctrinal generosity from a partial and proselytising journalist.Mike Lim Bolton, Greater Manchester

I wonder if Cristina Odone is liberal enough to understand that it is possible to have values of compassion and the like, which she rightly extols, without belonging to any sort of church?James Wilson Banbury, Oxfordshire

Don't kill that bill

Your report on the troubled passage through Parliament of the Corporate Manslaughter Bill said: 'If it is not passed by 17 July ... the bill will be scrapped', ('Bid to outlaw corporate killing faces axe', News, last week).

This is not the case, according to Lords Ramsbotham when he spoke in a House of Lords debate last Monday.

For years, the government has promised but failed to deliver corporate manslaughter legislation, constantly baulking at the prospect of including prisons and police cells in the new law.

There is no logical reason why custody should be excluded from the present bill, and I write as the bereaved mother of a teenager who was the youngest of six women to die in Styal jail in Cheshire in the 12 months ending August 2003. The campaign group Inquest says the deaths were 'a clear example of corporate manslaughter'.

All that remains to ensure the passage of the bill is that government should name a date for custody to be included. As Ramsbotham has said, only the government can kill the bill.Pauline Campbell Malpas, Cheshire

Germans bagged milk first

Your article on milk in pouches ('Milk moves from bottles to the bag', News, last week) suggests that the idea has been borrowed from Canada. In fact, this system operated in East Germany in the Seventies, with the used polythene pouches being recyclable.Janet Fraser Twickenham, west London

Holiday high-handedness

So New Labour has abandoned 'hard working families' in favour of travel companies' profits ('School holiday plan dumped', News, last week).

No surprise there but I hope families who cannot afford the inflated holiday prices imposed during school holidays will defy the Labour 'bullies' and their £1,000 'spot fines'.Brian Penney Morecambe, Lancashire

Evil mustn't win

Nick Cohen is so right to hit out at liberalism's 'stay inside and keep your voice down' wing. I particularly relished his revival of the concept of cowardice, a word seriously out of fashion. It brought to mind a crown prosecution service type I heard on TV, blandly dealing with a hypothetical question to the effect that were we to come upon an old person being beaten senseless in the street, we should call the police but not put ourselves at risk. Where the good remain silent, evil triumphs.Colin Sutherill Bakewell, Derbyshire

Horror of Hamas

The Hamas war chief, Abu Obeida, told your correspondent Mitchell Prothero: 'I do not hate the men of Fatah; they are our brothers.' ('Hamas war chief reveals his plans for Gaza peace', World last week). One wonders why Prothero didn't ask him about the atrocities committed by Hamas fighters, like throwing people from the 18th floor and entering hospitals to murder wounded men.Dr Jacob Amir Jerusalem

Ditch the old attitudes

According to Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis, (Comment, last week) 'Radical initiatives will benefit all older people'. But they will only do so if we start radicalising attitudes to old age from the earliest years. Ask any child of five to demonstrate what it means to be old, and they will immediately screw up their faces, hobble awkwardly and speak in a squeaky voice. Ask whether they've ever met anyone who behaves in that way, and they mostly reply: 'No.'

The men and women society now offers as models for old age are ones who have malfunctioned. Normal ageing doesn't get a look in because, apart from obvious wrinkles, there's nothing unusual about genuinely old people.

To be taught from the earliest years to believe we are all capable of thinking outside the box until the very moment we are placed inside one, must be the best possible way to change society's treatment of older people. Let's do it.Janet Howd London SE1

Schools for success

I read last week's Focus article by Peter Hyman, with a wry smile ('Back to basics: the simple lessons I learnt about good schooling'). Effective teachers have always understood the link between high quality teaching and higher standards. It is disappointing, that it took a former Downing Street aide to bring this simple point to the attention of policy-makers.

As an advanced skills teacher of mathematics with a long career teaching students of low aspirations in tough inner-city schools, I know that poor self-esteem is invariably the obstacle to learning. Teachers who understand this use tried techniques to improve the learning environment, so students gain in confidence, thrive and learn.Ann Moore Stocksfield, Northumberland

Don't stub out tens

It may not be such a good idea to outlaw the sale of packets of 10 cigarettes to deter consumption. ('Parents warned not to smoke at home', News, last week) Many smokers buy 'tens' to help them cut down or stop smoking altogether.Sue Kichenside Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire

Write to us Letters, which may be edited, should include a full name and postal address and be sent to: Letters to the Editor, The Observer, 3-7 Herbal Hill, London EC1R 5EJ (to be received by noon Thursday). Fax: 020 7837 7817. Email: letters@observer.co.uk (please insert Letters to the Editor in subject field).